In the fall of 2002, the State Board for Educator Certification (SBEC) implemented a new teacher certification examination program that will, over the next few years, supplant the Examination for the Certification of Educators in Texas (ExCET), which has been the state's teacher certification exam since 1986. At the same time, SBEC introduced a new generation of certificates for Texas teachers. The new certification examination program is called the Texas Examinations of Educator Standards (TExES).
The change is the result of the evolution of public education in Texas. Since 1998, Texas has been on the forefront of a national movement to improve education and advance student learning by improving the way school curriculum is aligned from grade to grade, from kindergarten through college. SBEC, working in conjunction with the Texas Education Agency and Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, developed the K–16 Initiative, which is designed to promote a seamless system of education.
The redesign of the educator certification structure is an integral part of the K–16 Initiative. The first step in this process was the development of new standards for beginning Texas public school teachers. These standards are based on the state's required curriculum for public school students, the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS). Developing the new standards and introducing new teacher certificates has been a cooperative process involving numerous committees, each comprised of as many as 25 experts from all educational arenas, from classroom teachers to deans of education, as well as interested citizens.
The work of these committees is guiding the development of the new TExES testing program, which is based on the new standards. Twenty-five new standards-based certificates were introduced in the fall of 2002. Five new certificates are being introduced in the fall of 2003. SBEC has a goal of replacing all existing ExCET tests and certificates by 2005.
The certificate structure itself also is being streamlined. There will be a reduction in the types of certificates offered, but each new certificate will require a greater breadth and depth of knowledge on the part of the beginning teacher. For example, there no longer will be individual certificates offered for physics and chemistry. Instead there will be a single certificate for physical science, which requires the beginning teacher to have adequate content knowledge to teach either, or both.
SBEC and the committees creating the new standards recognize that children learn differently at different grade levels. The new certificate structure takes these developmental differences into account. The new certificates will also bring greater focus to preparing middle school teachers. New certificates have been issued for early childhood through grade four, grades four through eight, and grades eight through twelve. These are replacing current certificates that cover early childhood through grades six or eight, and grades six through twelve. There are also new certificates that are considered all-level (i.e., early childhood through grade twelve).
See the table below for the new TExES tests related to the new standards that will be offered in the fall of 2003. Since teacher preparation programs have been allowed to decide how and when to make program adjustments to allow for the changes to the standards and certificates, some teacher candidates who were preparing to meet the current standards and take the current ExCET tests may just be completing their training as the new TExES tests are implemented. To avoid penalizing these individuals by requiring them to pass tests for which they are not adequately prepared, training programs have the flexibility to allow their students to take the appropriate ExCET tests and receive the corresponding certificates for one additional year. The ExCET tests that parallel new TExES tests will not be offered after the end of the 2003–2004 test administration year (August 31, 2004). In addition, examinees whose certification route is out-of-state or who are seeking additional certification must take the TExES test as of September 1, 2004. New tests are as follows:
New TExES tests
(available beginning fall 2003)
Current ExCET tests
(not available after summer 2004)
153 Educational Diagnostician
061 Educational Diagnostician
104 English as a Second Language (ESL)/Generalist EC–4
120 English as a Second Language (ESL)/Generalist 4–8
154 English as a Second Language (ESL)
012 English as a Second Language
170 Pedagogy and Professional Responsibilities for Trade and Industrial Education 8–12
N/A
151 Reading Specialist
059 Reading Specialist
161 Special Education EC–12
163 Special Education Supplemental
011 Generic Special Education
*Not all TExES tests directly correspond to an ExCET test, and some TExES tests include content covered in more than one ExCET test. More content-area TExES tests are under development and will be available by 2005.
These new TExES tests will be administered for the first time at the fall 2003 test administration. Candidates preparing under the new standards and planning to take the new TExES tests should use the TExES Preparation Manuals in preparing for the tests. Preparation manuals are available to candidates, faculty, and educator preparation programs on the Internet.
If you have questions about the new TExES tests or the TExES program in general, please call the SBEC Office of Accountability at (512) 238-3200.
